National Youth Rights Association

Post edited 2:34 pm – July 5, 2012 by foxfire

Since fundraising is among the most important responsibilities a board of directors (BOD) has, many non-profits require each board member to raise or donate a minimum each year ($5,000 is a common minimum). NYRA has never set a minimum beyond that needed to maintain membership in the organization ($10/year or $150/lifetime). In our current board term, 6 of our 9 board members have brought in no money whatsoever, and not one has brought in more than $100 for the entire term.

Luckily, help is on the way. Some of this year’s candidates, determined to give NYRA the committed BOD it deserves, are pledging, if elected, to raise or donate at least $400 each over the next term. For NYRA, this is a big step in the right direction.

While raising funds is not the only valuable thing board members do, it is an important responsibility. And it has been my observation as Executive Director that the board members who bring in the most money are the same board members who give us the most time and the most valuable volunteer work. Those who are committed give us time and money, while those who lack commitment give us neither.

Therefore I hope every voter in this year’s election will consider giving high ranking to each candidate who has demonstrated their commitment by signing this pledge:

Pledge

Recognizing that raising funds is a key responsibility of a board of directors, I pledge that, if I am elected to NYRA’s board of directors for the 2012-2013 term:

1)      I will raise or donate at least $100 for NYRA every three months.

2)      The first time I fail to meet this minimum, I will resign from NYRA’s board and will remain off the board until the next board term.

3)      If another board member who signs this agreement fails to honor it, I will vote to remove him/her from the board.

4)      NYRA’s Executive Director will have my full support in informing all voters in future elections of how well I honored this agreement.

 

Signatories

Steven Hamrick

Megan Wanzo

Hardy Macia

Paula Flowe

Jeffrey Nadel

Jaylen Bledsoe

Erik Braghirol

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Private said:

This seems a bit silly. Voting a member off for not meeting a fundraising requirement? I'd rather that they focus on the issues at hand, not fundraising. Isn't that the campaign directors job anyway?

What issues did you have in mind, Private? The biggest issue at hand for NYRA is our financial problem. In any serious non-profit, fundraising is the prime duty of directors. The reason they are given the power they are is because they provide the funds and therefore deserve to say how those funds are spent.

A Campaign Director's job is to direct political campaigns, and NYRA no longer has a Campaign Director. Because of our funding issues, NYRA is down to one (part-time) staff-member. A year ago, we had two full-time professionals and one part-time, but our funding declined since the last BOD-election, and we cannot currently afford such a staff.